2015, JUNE - ARG ST. LOUIS TOP 8

BRIAN SCOTT FERGUSON

ERIC SCHREIBER

JAMES VENABLE

JAMIE OWEN

JEFF JONES

JULIUS DUKE

• How did you know FoW and how long are you playing it?

A buddy owns a card shop and showed me them.

I have been playing this card game for a month got into it at beginning of may

• Have you already played other TCGs?

Yes i was a UDE yugioh player along time ago.

• What do you particularly like in FoW?

That you get mana every turn adds alot of skill to the game.

• Which deck did you play and why you brought to this event?

I ran Shae with alot of answer so rarely a bad game.

• Any tips about how to play this deck? Tricks?

You just control the field. Dont over tap so YOU can always answer the split heaven and earth.

• Tips for the new players?

If you wanna win make sure your decks are built to compete.

• The next event to which do you plan to attend?

ARG NY and Majority of the Upcoming Regionals.

PAUL MCCANN

Paul McCann, Hayward

• How did you know FoW and how long are you playing it?

I started playing FoW when Crimson Moon’s Fairy Tale and The Castle of Heaven and the Two Towers were released in the U.S. I had heard of the game during Gen Con 2014, but regrettably didn’t look into it until later.

• Have you already played other TCGs?

I have played several TCGs competitively, finding the most success in Yu-Gi-Oh!

• What do you particularly like in FoW?

The game plays very similarly to MTG, but without Magic’s biggest flaw (mana screw/flood).

• Which deck did you play and why you brought to this event?

I played Abdul Control, as it matched up favorably against the field of predominately Grimm decks.

• Any tips about how to play this deck? Tricks?

In most control mirrors, the player who taps out attempting to cast something on their own turn loses, as both players will be holding up counter spells for much of the game. Try to coax your opponent into casting spells into your Xeex/Cake Zone, while playing around theirs as often as possible.

• Tips for the new players?

Read and learn as many of the cards as possible, as the card pool is small enough currently to absorb. Many cards are better in practice than they might appear at first glance.

• The next event to which do you plan to attend?

I plan to attend the Regional Championship in Chicago, IL, and possibly others.

ZACK TUFFORD

Zack Tufford 23 years old Atlanta, Georgia

• How did you know FoW and how long are you playing it?

My shop owner actually sent me a message asking me if we should support "this new game" all the way back in February. After reading up on it on the wiki I had a bit of interest sparked. I bought a starter deck when they came out here and after playing one game with some friends at a local shop, I got up and bought two boxes. I loved it.

• Have you already played other TCGs?

I played Yu-gi-oh a long time ago, as well as Battle Spirits. I also experienced some success in the Naruto TCG while it was around and I'm an avid Magic player even now.

• What do you particularly like in FoW?

I enjoy that the game has noticeable similarities to other games, yet it is so vastly different. I feel Force of Will Co. has done an exceptional job of separating the ideas that work well from the ideas that impede games.

• Which deck did you play and why you brought to this event?

I chose to play Abdul at the St Louis ARG. We had a recent fairly large tournament in the US with an Abdul list that won and I liked the deck's premise. I was choosing between Grimm Odd Aggro and Abdul Control, because I felt they were two of the most prevalent decks at the time. I decided that if I were going to face Odd Aggro, I'd rather play Abdul (Abdul is very favored in that matchup), and if I were going to face Abdul, I'd rather play Abdul, so going with the control deck just seemed correct.

• Any tips about how to play this deck? Tricks?

Patience is huge. Pay attention to your mana. Sometimes it's not right to play an Elvish Priest, because if they thunder it you can't hold up the proper counterspells for whatever else is coming. -It's often wrong to slam Gretel on turn two in a lot of matchups, because you need mana to interact with the opponent. -If you're deciding between calling a stone or playing Gretel first, play the Gretel. Your odds of calling a green stone that Gretel would hit are the same as Gretel hitting, so if you call a green stone your odds of Gretel hitting decrease. Plus, if Gretel misses, at least you get your non-green stone out of the way by calling it. -Board out your Gretels in the control mirror. The game is going to go long anyway, so ramp isn't that big of an advantage usually. Plus, Gretel is a low impact card, so drawing it in the mid or late game is rough. Same goes for Elvish Priest, though I would keep at least two or three in if you're going first, as a turn two Fiethsing or Gardea is brutal.

• Tips for the new players?

-Learn to Mulligan correctly. It's a difficult skill to master, and a lot of it may be counter-intuitive, but it's critical. -Practice. Force of Will is a game with a lot of subtleties. The more you practice, the more you'll be aware of them. -Spread the word! I've never seen a game grow so explosively. I joined the main US group when we had maybe five hundred people, and in a few short months we're almost to four thousand! I'd love nothing more than to see this game continue to flourish.

• The next event to which do you plan to attend?

I think the next two events on my list are probably the Illinois Regional and the Texas Regional. I'd love to go to another ARG, but being a college student with limited income, it's a tad challenging to make so many out of state trips in quick succession. I fully intend to take my next tournament by storm, though!